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Strawberries need to be hand-picked, which raises the risk of hepatitis A contamination in places where the virus is prevalent.
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More varieties of frozen strawberries were recalled from Walmart, Costco and HEB over concerns they may be contaminated with hepatitis A, a virus that can cause fatal liver infection in older adults.
As of June 14, there have been nine cases of hepatitis A associated with frozen organic strawberries in California, Oregon and Washington state. Illnesses started on dates ranging from Nov. 24, 2022, to April 12, 2023. Ill people ranged in age from 38 to 64.
At least three people have been hospitalized but no deaths have been reported, according the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Officials have linked the infections to frozen strawberries imported from certain farms in Baja California, Mexico, by a common supplier.
Consumers are advised to check their freezers for the recalled products — which have a shelf life of up to two years — and throw them away or return them to the store for a full refund.
The recalled products are:
- Walmart: Great Value Sliced Strawberries, Great Value Mixed Fruit and Great Value Antioxidant Blend distributed to select Walmart stores in 32 states from Jan. 24, 2023, to June 8, 2023.
- Costco: Rader Farms Organic Fresh Start Smoothie Blend distributed to Costco Wholesale stores in Colorado, Texas, California and Arizona from Oct. 3, 2022, to June 8, 2023.
- HEB: Rader Farms Organic Berry Trio distributed to HEB stores in Texas from July 18, 2022, to June 8, 2023.
Days earlier, a seperate recall was placed on Wawona Organic Daybreak Blend frozen fruit that was distributed to Costco stores in Arizona, California, Colorado, Utah and Washington state between April 15 and June 26, 2022.
In March, similar frozen fruit products containing organic strawberries were recalled by Scenic Fruit Co. over the same contamination concerns. The products had been sold at Costco, Aldi, KeHE, Vital Choice Seafood, PCC Community Markets, Trader Joe’s and other retailers.
The recalled items were:
- Simply Nature 24-ounce organic strawberries with a “best before” date of June 14, 2024, and UPC number 4099100256222 that were sold in Arizona, Arkansas, California, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota, Ohio and Wisconsin.
- Vital Choice 16-ounce organic strawberries with a “best before” date of May 20, 2024, and UPC number 834297005024 that were sold in Washington.
- Kirkland Signature 4-pound organic strawberries with a “best before” date of Oct. 8, 2024, and UPC number 96619140404 that were sold in Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Utah and Washington.
- Made With 10-ounce organic strawberries with a “best before” date of Nov. 20, 2024, and UPC number 814343021390 that were sold in Illinois and Maryland.
- PCC Community Markets 32-ounce organic strawberries with a “best before” date of Oct. 29, 2024, and UPC number 22827109469 that were sold in Washington state.
- Trader Joe’s 16-ounce Organic Tropical Fruit Blend of pineapples, bananas, strawberries and mango with “best before” dates ranging from April 25, 2024, to June 7, 2024, with a UPC number 00511919, sold nationwide.
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